Q&A with KLJ
Any lessons you learned
after Live at Luna's that helped craft the sound of
Cats Made of Rabbits?
I think the main lesson was that I really liked the folks I worked with and I should work with them again. I had the same audio engineer and mixer. I enlisted more help this time, from yourself, from my wife and I was able to perform more hour long sets leading up the show but that's more to do with having forwarded my career a little with Live at Luna's so that people were willing to give an hour. I would have liked more chances to rehears Luna's but I hadn't proven myself yet I guess. I think I learned the most though just from getting on stage as much as possible. I always feel like there is a lot of growth from one year to the next. If that stops I'll worry.
What inspired a DVD companion to the CD?
Apprehensive Films' willingness to do it. They were very
enthusiastic about shooting video this time and they took all the
risks. The one risk I took was this; Jonathan at Apprehensive told
me that if he went through all the trouble to film the set, he
was releasing it even if I hated it, so I'd better nail
it. I agreed to that and luckily I didn't hate
it.
Is it a trend you want to continue?
Absolutely. I hope it does well enough to allow that. With Luna's I had MANY requests for video so we'll see...
You founded comedy night at Luna's café. How has running a room influenced you outside of being a performer?
I have a lot of empathy for bookers and people who support comics. We're pretty hard on them sometimes and we can take it personally when they're just being bad at their jobs in the way that we're all bad at our jobs sometimes. I spend a lot of time assuring comics that I like them and that I think they're funny.
You've shared the stage and opened for many well-known
comics. Who's given you the most memorable advice and what
has it been?
Jimmy Dore asked me why I didn't kick a heckler in the face. I said "I don't think the club would've appreciated that." Molly, the booker at Punch Line, was standing behind me and said, "No, you should've kicked them in the face." I don't know if I'm ready to take that advice but I like it. And Ngaio Bealum convinced me that I didn't need to censor myself when the crowd was older. He illustrated his point by turning in the FILTHIEST set I've ever seen in front of a bunch of blue haired old ladies at an Indian Gaming Casino. It was mind blowing!
There's a burgeoning comedy scene here in Sacramento, fostered in a
big way by you. Who are some of the up-and-coming Sac comics
to watch?
Oh man, I'll name a few and then the ones I didn't name will be hurt. Oh well. Chazz Hawkins and Ray Molina are killing. Bryan Yang has been blowing me away. Carlos Rodriguez might be my favorite at the moment because he doesn't even do stand up anymore, he just starts talking and personal stories mix with weird observations and bits of shtick and it makes this hilarious soup. Nick Aragon, Nick Pettigrew and Josh Barbee, the three I invited to do my CD release show with me, all great. Diego Curiel, Dez Hendersen, Alec Roberts, a new kid named Daniel O'Connell, all very funny. Michael McConnell is a favorite. I'm taking Johnny Taylor with me to my SF CD Release show, he's a blast. Eve David slays me. Shit, I'm going to be here all day trying to remember everyone, look Sacramento has TOO many great comics.
You're embarking on a promotional tour for Cats Made of Rabbits,
where will you be playing the next few months?
LA on 9/18 at the Hollywood Improv Lab, then Chico on the 22nd, Sacramento on the 23rd and SF on the 24th. I'm in Santa Cruz on Oct. 2nd and headlining Marga's Funny Mondays in Berkeley on Oct. 3rd. Then finishing up in Portland on October 15th and Seattle October 16th. There'll be more, but that's it for now.
David Sedaris in Sacto!
On the topic of funny people. David Sedaris is coming to the Crest Theatre November
18th.
Enter to win tickets (and be sure to fill in that
last box with "I found this Off Air, sucka!" … or
some polite alternative).
And if you need an introduction (or a refresher) on what you can
expect November the 18th …
BUY